Kindling
by TheWanderingCactus
Summary: Moncon Oneshot: Yang is struggling to recover in the aftermath of Ruby's departure. With Taiyang out looking for his youngest daughter, it falls to Qrow to relight the fire that she once had.
**AN:** **I haven't seen many stories that focus on Yang and Qrow's interactions, so for this Moncon I decided to focus on the two of them. The story takes place between the time Ruby leaves her house and the post credits scene.**

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Silence was something that Qrow had grown all too accustomed to throughout his life. It was a word he associated with his work, with creeping up on unsuspecting targets, with long, sleepless nights observing his prey. It was not a word that he had ever associated with this house, and certainly not with the girl sitting before him. This house had always been a refuge from that all-encompassing silence, a shining spot of happiness and life for him to find his way back to. And the girl, he had never seen her quite like this. He had seen her sad, he had seen her defeated; but this was something more than that. This was a smothering, overwhelming despondency that threatened to snuff out the fire that had always burned in her eyes and driven her forward.

Yang hadn't said a word to him since he'd arrived. She probably hadn't said a word since Ruby had left. Qrow wasn't surprised when he heard that his youngest niece had taken off with what was left of Nikos's team in pursuit of the Fall Maiden. It was in her nature to do such a thing, not because of a sense of vengeance, simply out of that naïve heroism of hers. Sure, he may have pointed Ruby in the right direction, but only because he knew he'd never be able to stop her from going. Needless to say his old teammate had been distressed at his daughter's disappearance. Taiyang had been halfway out the door when he'd called Qrow and asked for him to look after Yang while he tracked down Ruby.

And so, he had come. He had come to the house that was usually so full of energy, of movement, of people, and found only a sullen, brooding Yang lying in bed, and Zwei, curled at her feet. He had said nothing when he entered, pulling up a chair and sitting down, waiting for Yang to say something.

That had been two hours ago.

Qrow had never been very subtle in conversation. He had spent the better part of the last half hour thinking of the best way to get Yang to talk. 'How're you holding up', might've been polite, but it was a stupid question, the answer was quite clearly, 'not well'. In the end, Qrow decided to simply make an appeal to Yang's stomach.

"You hungry?"

Rolling in her bed to face away from him was the only answer she gave.

"When did you last eat?"

"Morning"

Qrow raised an eyebrow, "That was hours ago."

"Not hungry."

Qrow exhaled, of course Yang wasn't going to make this easy for him.

"You need to eat something."

"Why do you care?" She asked, still facing away from him.

Qrow's eyes narrowed. He had not been expecting that response.

"Why wouldn't I care?"

"Because you've got something important to do? Somewhere you need to be?"

Qrow grimaced at her words, he recognized them; they were excuses, his excuses. The reasons he always gave for why he couldn't be there all the time, why he had to leave in such a hurry. He rarely went on a mission he could freely tell his nieces the full details of, vague answers like that were the only explanations he could ever offer.

Qrow rubbed a hand across his brow, "Right now I'm pretty sure that _this_ is where I need to be."

Yang's scowl etched itself deeper into her features, "I don't need your help Qrow."

The huntsman considered her words a for a moment, then he did something that he hadn't expected to do today. He laughed.

Confusion danced across Yang's face for a fleeting moment before the scowl returned, "what's so funny?"

"That," Qrow said, ending his laughter, "is so like you. Lying in bed, too depressed to do anything, and yet you're still too stubborn to want any help."

Yang's eyes burst into crimson, matching his own blood-red glare, "Maybe I don't want to do anything," She yelled, "maybe I'd rather just sit here and let myself waste away, than keep on trying when everything just blows up in my face!"

In that instant, Qrow saw the fire burn in Yang's eyes once more before it faded back to embers. Yang's body started to shake as she turned her head away from him, bringing her lone remaining arm to wipe away the tears she refused to let him see.

"I'm sick of it Qrow," she whispered through her silent sobs. "I'm sick of trying so hard to do my best and not being good enough. I'm sick of losing people."

Yang let out another gasping sob as her composure broke completely and she openly wept. In one swift movement her uncle was at her side, pulling her close. As his niece sobbed into his shirt Qrow realised that he hadn't seen her cry like this since Summer's funeral. In that moment, holding Yang close, Qrow cursed the White Fang bastard who'd taken her arm, he cursed the Fall maiden for setting these events in motion, Ozpin for not doing more to stop her, himself for the same reason, Yang's partner for abandoning her, Fate itself for being so unspeakably cruel. But most of all, he cursed his sister. His sister who had left behind a little girl who'd never done anything wrong, who could've reappeared at any time just so Yang had the chance to meet her mother, who subjected her daughter to the same fate that the two of them had suffered.

Qrow was no stranger to the feelings that Yang was experiencing. As her sobs slowed he finally resolved to share with her the one story he always hated telling.

"Did I ever tell you about my parent's?"

Yang blinked up at him through the tears, shaking her head slightly, her body still shuddering occasionally.

"Well, there's a good reason for that. I never knew them," he said. "All I know is that one day, when Raven and I were three or so, they dropped us both at an orphanage and were never heard from again."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Yang asked, quietly.

"I didn't really see the point until now." Qrow chuckled to himself. "Maybe I was just being selfish, but empathy isn't exactly one of my strengths y'know. I wasn't sure it'd help. But I guess I'm trying to say that I get it, that feeling of abandonment. Wondering why you weren't good enough for them."

Yang's shuddering had finally subsided, but she still held him close, as if she were afraid he'd drift away. "How do you get over it?"

Qrow sighed, "In my experience, you don't. You have to live with the fact that for whatever reason, you weren't good enough to them. You don't just get over something like that, but I'll tell you what you can do instead. You find other people. The people who you mean the world too. And then you don't ever let them go. And every day, they make it a little easier to forget the person who left you."

For the first time that day, Qrow saw a hint of a smile reach Yang's face, "Who were those people for you?"

Qrow scoffed. "As if you even need to ask. It was Summer, Tai, Ruby, and You," he said, tapping her forehead as he said the final word.

Qrow finally released Yang from his embrace. "Yang, you already found those people. You know that you did. Don't let them get away from you because you're afraid of getting burned twice."

Yang's expression fell. "But what if, what if I'm not strong enough to hold on to them?"

Qrow laughed for the second time that day. "Yang Xiao Long. I have known a lot of strong-willed people in my time. Tai could get beaten down a million times and still get back up to take another swing. Summer would face down the entire world to protect what she cared about. So let me tell you, when I say that you are the strongest person I've ever met, that's not a comment I make lightly."

Qrow stood up, rolling the stiffness out of his shoulders, "It's gonna take you some time to get back on your feet, but I know you can do it, because that's just who you are."

He strode towards the door, lingering at the threshold, "now I'll ask again. Hungry?"

The corner of Yang's mouth twitched up. "Starving," she answered.

Three days passed. Taiyang had returned home unsuccessful in locating Ruby. Qrow was leaving to pursue her himself. Assuring himself that he had everything he needed, he started down the snow covered pathway. He had barely made it ten metres when a voice called out to him.

"You're going to find Ruby?"

Qrow turned to find Yang, still in her pyjamas, standing at the front door.

"She's gonna need my help. I seem to recall you saying you didn't?" he said with a smirk.

"You aren't going to bring her back here, are you?" Yang asked.

"Ruby's _almost_ as stubborn as you. As if I could stop her."

Yang trudged forward and looked him in the eyes.

"Keep her safe Qrow."

Qrow grinned, "I'll fill in for you 'till you're back at a hundred percent, yeah?"

Yang smiled softly, "deal."

She turned to go back inside, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Yang. I want you to remember something. If you ever think you're gonna fail, if you ever think that you're not good enough just remember. You're not worthless, not to Tai, not to Ruby, and certainly not to me, to me you're worth the world."

Yang felt the tears coming as she spun and caught him in a hug, "Go get 'em, you sappy old bird."

"Will do, Firecracker."

At that, Yang broke their embrace, and walked back inside, smiling like she used to.

Qrow smiled as well. Before she'd turned away, Qrow had seen something that he thought Yang had almost lost.

A fire was burning in her eyes once more.

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 **AN:** **Thank you for reading. Any criticism or feedback is welcome.**

 **-The Wandering Cactus.**


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